Personalized Home Care
The goal is to ensure your loved one can remain living at home, wherever home is for them. Whether it’s the family homestead, an accessible condo, or a retirement home, they’ve chosen where they want to live, and we provide the help to make that goal possible.
Our job is to come alongside your loved one and help with any tasks that have become more difficult or tasks that they simply don’t want to do anymore! From help with cleaning and cooking through to personal care and 24/7 support, we do it all. As their needs change, our service grows with them, so their lifestyle is maintained.
As our company name says, we focus on the client first—the Warm Embrace.
Companionship care and social interaction are the cornerstone of what we offer, and it is prioritized throughout our visits. Even while caregivers are accomplishing home care tasks, they are focused on interacting with your loved one and engaging them in the tasks at hand.
We want them to feel productive and in charge of their own environment. With our philosophy of care, your loved one is not losing independence. They are gaining a new friend. This new caregiver is a friend first, and a helper second.
24 Hour Care
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Personal Care
You suspect that your mother has not been bathing. Her hair hasn’t been washed and she’s wearing the same clothes as the last time you saw her, and now her sweater has numerous spills and stains. If you try and ask her about bathing or changing her clothes, she becomes furious and yells “I used to bathe you! I don’t need you to tell me when to bathe!”
If your loved one begins to need assistance with personal care tasks, enlisting the support of a professional caregiver may be the kindest thing you can do to protect their pride and dignity.
Personal care includes all the most intimate elements of hygiene, tasks that are rarely discussed or openly acknowledged. It can also highlight the feeling of role reversal between elderly parents and their adult children.
Professional caregivers assist with all components of personal care. Our caregiving team knows how to assist in such a way that dignity is always protected.
Personal Care Tasks
Toileting
Changing incontinence briefs
Perineal Care
Emptying and replacing catheter bags
Sponge bathing
Repositioning for bed care
Showering
Medication reminders
Oral and denture care
Trimming with an electric razor
Selecting outfits and dressing
Wash, dry, style hair
Apply lotion or makeup
“I know it’s not everyone’s favourite task, but I actually like helping with personal care. I do enough cooking and cleaning at my own house, but when I’m helping with personal care, I’m doing something for someone that no one else will do for them. It is special.”
Personal Care FAQ
Have more questions about personal care?
Our team is ready to help.
Part of the reason that we do not just rush in the door and say “it’s shower time” is because that is off-putting to many people. We realize that it takes time for someone to be ready to embark on personal care. We take our time, approach gently, and wait for permission to proceed.
If someone continues to refuse personal care, we must respect their wishes. We will not force personal care on someone who does not provide consent to proceed.
Yes! We have many clients who require both morning and evening visits. Morning shifts typically involve helping someone out of bed, toileting, showering, and all personal grooming to get the day started. We then make breakfast, help with any cleaning or household tasks as needed, and ensure that clients are set up for a great day ahead.
Depending upon timing of the shift, evenings visits sometimes include heating dinner and cleaning up afterwards, assisting with personal care and changing into pyjamas for bed.
Meal Preparation
Your father readily admits he can’t cook. He even jokes that he can’t boil water, he’s that inept in the kitchen! While he may be kidding, you know his cooking abilities are limited. He gladly let your mother cook for decades. He enjoyed her cooking and ate heartily. But since she passed away, he’s been at a bit of a loss.
Initially, he ate out at restaurants quite a bit—as much for the social component as for the food. But lately, getting out to restaurants is tough, and his doctor has recommended reducing his sodium intake. Prepared foods, frozen dinners, and eating out are not helping. He may claim he doesn’t eat much and has no appetite, but anytime he visits your house, he eats an entire plate of dinner.
Your loved one needs some healthy, home-cooked meals! That’s where we come in!
Warm Embrace caregivers can assist with each of the steps involved in having a home-cooked meal because it involves more than just cooking.
Grocery Shopping
If your father is well enough, we can take him on a grocery shopping excursion. He can select his own produce and push the cart along; we can make healthy suggestions and follow the grocery list.
When the weather is less appealing or if your father isn’t feeling well enough, we can do the grocery shopping on his behalf. Nowadays, many families elect to order grocery delivery direct to their parents’ home. Schedule the delivery during the time of our shift and you can be sure the groceries are put away in the fridge, freezer and cupboards.
Cooking
We love to involve clients as much as possible while cooking. Clients can add their own touch to a recipe, flavour it the way they like, or determine precisely how well done they’d like something.
Not only do they get dinner exactly the way they like it, but they also thrive from being involved and participating. If your father really doesn’t care to help with cooking, perhaps he’ll join us at the kitchen table while we chop veggies and simmer a soup on the stove.
Companionship at Mealtime
For many seniors, the hardest part of mealtime is eating alone. The social component of a meal entices people to enjoy their food more and eat more heartily. So, we’ll sit with your father through dinner and enjoy conversation.
Clean Up
The part of cooking that most people dread is the clean up! Of course, we’ll take care of cleaning the kitchen, washing all the dishes, and putting everything away. The kitchen will be cleaner than we found it.
Meal Preparation
FAQ
Have more questions about meal preparation? Our team is ready to help?
No, you don’t! Caregivers are there to cook for you, but they are not expecting to eat your food. They will gladly sit with you during mealtime, but they will bring their own food or snacks.
All food is prepared in your home. Everyone has different tastes and prefers to have their food cooked differently. Caregivers will want to know how you like food seasoned and cooked. They will ask you questions to ensure that they can match your taste. The more detail and information you provide, the more likely we can match your preference. Providing recipes is the best way to ensure meals are made to your liking!
Since everything is being custom-cooked in your home, yes, we can match your specific needs. Since food is only ever cooked on-site in your home, you can be sure it’s allergen-safe. If you’re following a sodium-free or sodium-reduced diet, we can assist you in cooking foods that adhere to your doctor’s recommendations. Recipes are very helpful to ensure dietary adherence. Caregivers can help you to find recipes that match your new requirements.
Cleaning
Your in-laws live together in their own home and until recently they’ve been managing to help each other and get by but lately, they’re not doing so well, and you’re concerned. Your in-laws are very attached to their home and they've sworn that they will never willingly leave the house.
You’ve noticed that the bathrooms aren’t clean, and you could write your name in the dust. Your mother-in-law would be mortified if she realized that her housekeeping has lapsed. Rather than embarrass her by pointing it out, let our caregivers take care of the cleaning.
Caregivers assist with light housekeeping such as:
Laundry
Ironing clothing or linens
Changing Bed Linens
Vacuuming
Dusting
Sanitizing Washrooms
Cleaning the Kitchen
Dishes
Removing Garbage
Watering Plants
Polishing silverware
Gentle Dementia Care
Get personalized, gentle support that meets your loved one exactly where they are. Our caregivers focus on maintaining abilities, reducing stress, and creating moments of connection—so your parent feels safe, understood, and valued at every stage.
Cleaning is one of the many tasks that we complete, but we are not primarily a cleaning service. We provide comprehensive home care that includes many different elements of care. If you are strictly looking for cleaning, then cleaning agencies are better equipped to rapidly clean a home and remain meticulously focused on cleaning.
Not a problem! Your parents can decide what they prefer. If they have a longstanding cleaner to whom they are emotionally attached, then keep that in place. We will provide the day-to-day top ups to keep the home fresh and maintained.
Many clients elect to have Warm Embrace complete cleaning so they can reduce the number of separate service providers coming into the home. Since Warm Embrace provides comprehensive service and a single point of contact, that is easier for many clients and their families.
Each client provides their own preferred cleaning supplies, and those cleaning supplies remain in their own home. This ensures infection control that nothing is being transferred between different clients’ homes.
Client Testimonial
“We would highly recommend Warm Embrace. They were extremely helpful and caring when we brought my dad home from the hospital. They assisted my mom in daily chores and extra care for my dad. A special thank you goes to Linda and Donna the caregivers."
~ Sandy M
Companionship
Your great-aunt is fiercely independent and values her privacy; she is proud to still live in her own home, even if she is essentially home-bound. While she could use some help with cleaning and some household tasks, what she really needs is companionship.
Your great-aunt is lonely, and she misses her friends. At 92, her few surviving friends are dealing with health problems of their own and can’t visit. Her opportunities for social interaction have dwindled, and you fear that it is impacting both her mental and physical health.
What your great-aunt needs is a new friend. Someone who feels like a breath of fresh air, who brings sunshine to her day. She will enjoy good conversation, reminiscing about her past, and sharing a laugh.
Reading the newspaper and discussing together
Playing cards
Going on walks together
Looking up information online together
Searching for nostalgic music or photos
Working together on projects like seasonal closet organization
Singing together or playing instruments
Playing board games
Having a cup of tea and chatting
Setting up seasonal décor together
Helping set up phone calls with friends and family.
Caregivers know that companionship and human connection are what matter most. Tasks can still be accomplished, but the focal point is making sure your great-aunt has the best day possible, every single visit.
Companionship FAQ
Have more questions about companionship? Our team is ready to help.
That’s okay! Sometimes companionship is just knowing that someone is present and appreciating someone else’s company. It doesn’t have to mean constant chatter and conversation. Just knowing that someone else is around and available can make the difference between feeling lonely versus feeling seen and understood.
It’s possible that we can match your mother with a caregiver who shares her first language. Our beautifully diverse team can speak a collective 17 different languages, and often we can pair caregivers and clients by language.
In cases were matching a language directly isn’t possible, caregivers can be very adept at creative communication. Language translation apps can be very helpful. Communication is so much more than words spoken; it is body language, expression, and reassurance.
Early Indicators that Your Loved One Needs Home Care
Personal care
- Repeatedly wearing the same unclean outfit
- Unwashed hair or body odour
- Difficulty managing incontinence care
Nutrition - Surviving primarily on “toast and tea” or other snacks
- Insisting they have no appetite and thus aren’t cooking
- Empty fridge or spoiled/expired items in fridge
Cleaning - Washroom or kitchen is noticeably unsanitary
- Bed sheets remaining unchanged for long time periods
- General lapse in housekeeping standards
Companionship - You’re receiving numerous phone calls daily
- They’ve admitted to feeling lonely
- They’re withdrawing from social activities